TWO boys were forced to jump out of a first floor window to escape a fire at their home.

The brothers, believed to be aged nine and 11, used their initiative when a fire started in an electrical box, smoke-logging their home in Vauxhall Crescent, Chelmsley Wood.

Both boys jumped out of a window on to the garage roof.

Firefighters said the blaze started while the boys' mother was out walking the family dog at 10.30pm yesterday. The youngsters escaped without any injuries and were out of the building when fire crews arrived.

An electrical fault is believed to have sparked the fire in the electric box on the ground floor.